V-BID Center Symposium 2011: The State of Value-Based Insurance Design: Evidence, Policy, Implementation, and Tools (Unconfirmed date: October 4, 2011) The V-BID Center Symposium 2011 will bring national leaders together to shape the future of value-based insurance design (V-BID) as a means of improving health care quality while containing costs for Americans. This symposium is a key part of the work of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center), the leader in research, development, and outreach to help improve health outcomes through innovative benefit design. V-BID is growing rapidly in both private and public sector prominence. A recent survey showed 73% of health care opinion leaders support V-BID,1 and more than half of leading employers have V-BID in place.2 Value- based insurance design was included in the PPACA and Federal Departments are increasingly indicating strong support of the approach (for example, V-BID is listed as one of 10 key strategies for fulfilling targets in HHS's March 2011 National Strategy for Quality Improvement in Health Care). V-BID Medicare demonstration projects are expected. With tremendous new evidence and rapid expansion of the approach, this conference will be hugely beneficial as the only national conference designed to inform and shape this exciting shift in benefit plan design. Providing this essential information for improvin health care is firmly within the goals of AHRQ's Small Grant Program for Conference Support. The V-BID symposium will be unique in that it is not an introductory session on V-BID, explaining the concept. Many of these events are scheduled as interested leaders join in V-BID expansion. Instead, this conference will build on what V-BID researchers and practitioners know, informing each other from different areas of V-BID work, and building collaboration and innovation for the future of V-BID. Between 300-400 attendees are expected, including employers, researchers, plan designers, healthcare executives, policy leaders, government officials, benefit consultants, and health IT leaders. Attendees will engage with the nation's leading experts on V-BID evidence, policy, implementation, and tools. 1 Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey, October 2010. 2 Center for Health Value Innovation Value-Based Design 2010 Survey Report, February 2011. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The V-BID Center Symposium will provide knowledge-sharing and collaboration on value-based insurance design (V-BID), an evidence-based approach to health care plan design that can improve health care outcomes while controlling costs. The V-BID approach offers particular benefit for priority populations, such as lower-income groups and those with chronic disease, and better understanding how this approach can improve health care for all Americans is directly and completely relevant to public health.